Mohammad Amir wanted to make up for his wrongdoings, says his brother

Mohammad Amir has had a career with redemption at its crux, and he perhaps reached a new high on Sunday since he turned over a new leaf. The left-arm pacer was flying in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy against arch-rivals India. He ripped apart the Indian top order consisting of in-form batsmen Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Chasing a tall target of 339, India were heavily dependent on their top three, but Amir made sure they were removed from the equation without making an impact on the chase. He conceded a mere 19 runs from his six overs and bagged the three most prized wickets of the Indian team. Mohammad Amir set the tone for Pakistan in the second innings, who eventually thrashed India by a massive 180 runs to lift the Champions Trophy for the first time.

However, the same man was earlier banned from the game following the spot-fixing scandal, for which he was kept off the cricket field for five years. Seven years after Amir was punished for his misdeeds, his family can finally breathe a sigh of relief following his spectacular performance in the final.

Mohammad Amir’s performance comforts his family

Amir’s recent consistency in national colours has been a considerable source of support from his brothers Naveed and Ejaz. The family has finally gained back the respect of their neighbourhood, who earlier looked down upon them for Amir’s involvement in spot-fixing.

“Our family village, Changa Bungial is near Gujjar Khan near Rawalpindi and after the spot-fixing scandal happened, we were so ashamed and felt bad about facing people,” Naveed told PTI on telephone from his hometown Lahore.

“Our family has now settled in Defence Lahore but our roots remain in our village and now when we go there we can proudly look up to our people again,” he said.

“Amir, since completing his punishment, wanted to do something exceptional for Pakistan to make up for his wrongdoing and I think he managed that on Sunday. Everyone is calling us from our village and congratulating us on Aamir’s performance in the final,” he added.

Coming from a needy background

Mohammad Amir doesn’t come from a well-to-do family and has struggled to make his mark in international cricket. However, the youngster was a promising young pacer and was a force to reckon with in his early days in the international arena.

Since he made his comeback to the Pakistan team after serving his ban, he wasn’t able to replicate his brilliant performances straight away. Critics felt he was being unduly favoured by the national team’s head coach Mickey Arthur.

However, the left-hander bowled with an invigorated spirit in the 2016 Asia Cup against India. His vicious spell saw India falter early on while chasing a paltry target. Amir’s spell brought back memories of his earlier verve, which also featured in the first Test against the West Indies in April.

“It is never easy for a fast bowler to immediately get everything right after returning to international cricket after five years. I told Aamir to ease up and with time once his fitness also improves he will start bowling like his old self again,” Bajwa his first coach at the Bajwa Academy in Rawalpindi said.

Reliving the bad times 

Naveed said Amir’s family had been his primary moral support after the spot-fixing scandal broke out and while he was serving the ban.

“It was a terrible time for us. Our father was very upset but we all realized that he was just a kid at 18 and had made a mistake and we needed to support him,” Naveed said.

His family also insisted he gets married to a British citizen, Narjis Khan in order to have a source of comfort while on tours.

“It was because we wanted him to settle down and have a support system in his life even on tours,” he added.

Following Amir’s return to the Pakistan Cricket Team, former captain Shoaib Malik was appointed as his mentor. It was Malik who guided Amir and advised him to remain down to earth and show no attitude in the dressing room even if the environment was not to his liking.

“Shoaib is the senior most player in the side and we felt that Amir needed someone elder and senior to him to guide and advise him as he eased back into the Pakistan dressing room and international cricket,” a senior official of the Board said.

“Shoaib Malik has done a great job with him and Amir is now much more mature in his behavior and aware he will always remain under scrutiny and only his performances will back him up,” he concluded.